Transparent superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic TiO2-based coatings for self-cleaning and anti-fogging

Yuekun Lai; Yuxin Tang; Jiaojiao Gong; Dangguo Gong; Lifeng Chi; Changjian Lin; Zhong Chen

doi:10.1039/C2JM16298A

Transparent superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic TiO₂-based coatings for self-cleaning and anti-fogging†

Yuekun Lai,*^ab Yuxin Tang,^a Jiaojiao Gong,^c Dangguo Gong,^a Lifeng Chi,^b Changjian Lin^c and Zhong Chen*^a

* Corresponding authors

^a School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Singapore
E-mail: aszchen@ntu.edu.sg
Fax: +65 6790 9081
Tel: +65 6790 6727

^b Physikalisches Institute and Center for Nanotechnology (CeNTech), Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster D-48149, Germany
E-mail: laiy@uni-muenster.de

^c State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, and College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China

Abstract

A stable titanate nanobelt (TNB) particle suspension was prepared by a hydrogen-bond-driven assembly of pre-hydrolysed fluoroalkylsilane (FAS) on its surface. A one-step electrophoretic deposition was applied to fabricate a transparent cross-aligned superhydrophobic TNB/FAS film on a conducting glass substrate. By controlling the deposition time, we have shown the transition between a “sticky” hydrophobic state (high contact angle with strong adhesion) and a “sliding” superhydrophobic state (high contact angle with weak adhesion). The optical transmittance can reach as high as 80% throughout most of the visible light region of the spectrum. These coatings have also displayed high chemical stability and self-cleaning ability. Upon heating the hydrophobic coatings at 500 °C, the TNB coating transforms into a porous TiO₂(B) structure with superhydrophilic behavior and could be used for anti-fogging applications. With this TiO₂-based system, we have demonstrated three different wetting states: superhydrophobicity with weak adhesion, high hydrophobicity with strong adhesion, and superhydrophilicity with immediate water spreading. Moreover, this work has also demonstrated superhydrophobic TNB/FAS films with high chemical stability and good self-cleaning performance and superhydrophilic pore-like TiO₂(B) films with rapid water spreading and excellent anti-fogging ability.

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Article information

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/C2JM16298A
Article type: Paper
Submitted: 01 Dec 2011
Accepted: 07 Feb 2012
First published: 08 Mar 2012

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J. Mater. Chem., 2012,22, 7420-7426

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Transparent superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic TiO₂-based coatings for self-cleaning and anti-fogging

Y. Lai, Y. Tang, J. Gong, D. Gong, L. Chi, C. Lin and Z. Chen, J. Mater. Chem., 2012, 22, 7420 DOI: 10.1039/C2JM16298A

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Journal of Materials Chemistry